Overview
The development of the Irish Art market has been spearheaded by Sotheby's since we were the first auction house to hold a sale in London dedicated to Irish works of art in 1995. Our Irish sales have dominated the Irish Market in London for many years.
Our annual Irish sales feature paintings, drawings and sculpture from the 18th century to the present day demonstrating the rich artistic history of the country. The 18th century masters include George Barret and Nathaniel Hone whilst the 19th Century includes artists such as Aloysius O'Kelly and Walter Frederick Osborne. The diversity and quality of Irish art at the turn of the 20th Century is extraordinary and includes artists such as Roderic O'Conor, Sir John Lavery, Sir William Orpen and Jack Butler Yeats. We have recently seen a dramatic increase in demand for works by 20th Century Irish artists including William Leech, Evie Hone, Mainie Jellett, Nano Reid, George Campbell, Gerard Dillon, Dan O'Neill and of course, Louis le Brocquy, undoubtedly Ireland's greatest living artist. Irish contemporary works are also included in our annual sale and we have achieved exceptional results for works by artists such as William Scott, Sean Scully, Mark Francis, Robert Ballagh, Basil Blackshaw and Colin Davidson.
Sotheby's have achieved some spectacular World Auction records; in 1999 we set the world record of £1,233,500 for Jack B. Yeats' The Wild Ones and in 2000, Louis le Brocquy's Travelling Woman with Newspaper made £1,158,500. In 2001, Sir William Orpen's Portrait of Gardenia St George sold for a staggering £1,983,500, not only a world record for Orpen but also the most expensive Irish painting ever sold at auction.
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